


At Peace

by fluffy_mittens



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Parent Katniss Everdeen, Parent Peeta Mellark, Post-Hunger Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23961232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffy_mittens/pseuds/fluffy_mittens
Summary: A fic set after Mockingjay, when Katniss and Peeta have had kids.I haven't specifically stated how old the kids are because I'm not entirely sure, but I imagine them to be around 8 years old.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Kudos: 30





	At Peace

Katniss' face softened into a smile as she watched her children play from the window. Rye was holding a stick, shouting a war cry as he chased a shrieking Willow around the yard. Lark, Gale's daughter, was standing a little way away, shouting out commands and waving her arms wildly. Opal, Lark's twin sister, lay on the ground giggling as she watched Willow and Rye.

It always gave Katniss such pleasure to watch the children play. They had such innocence, found such joy in even the simplest of things.

She had spared her children from the stories of her own childhood- she just couldn't bring herself to corrupt their perfect view of the world.

Willow was her eldest child, tall and cheerful, with tumbling dark hair and shining blue eyes the colour of the sky on a clear day. She loved to play with the other children in the Meadow, and was always protective of her younger brother.

Rye had wispy blonde hair and cunning grey eyes, like a storm above the sea. He craved touch, always wanting to be cuddled by others, and Peeta doted on him. He had only just started school and was shy in front of his classmates, but loud and energetic with his family and cousins.

Lark and Opal weren't their actual cousins, of course. But Katniss and Peeta were so close to Gale and his wife Kyla that it felt real enough. Kyla was tall and graceful, always affectionate to Gale, and Katniss felt glad that he had found her.

As Katniss sat in the chair by the window and drifted through the gentle sea of her thoughts, a cry rang out.

"I'm victor!"

Katniss sucked in a breath, body going rigid, head snapping around to see Rye standing triumphant over his sister. His stick was held high in the air, and Lark was coming over to lift Rye's hand up and congratulate him. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the victor of this year's Hunger Games; Rye Mellark!"

Katniss' whole body was trembling, and someone nearby was screaming (or was it her?). Memories burst from their sealed vault, exploding in front of her eyes. She pressed her hands to her face, rocking back and forth as faces flashed through her mind.

Thresh. Glimmer. Clove. Cato. Foxface. Cecelia. Woof. Seeder. Chaff. Mags. Boggs. Mitchell. Jackson. Finnick. Coin. Snow.

Rue.

Prim.

Katniss was drowning- burning- falling to pieces-

A warm hand, an anchor, appeared on her shoulder.

Katniss glanced up automatically through blurry eyes, feeling tears dripping from her chin, and saw the face of her husband looking down at her. She could see horror and grief in his eyes, that must be reflected in her own, and she clenched her eyes shut as strong arms wrapped around her.

"Katniss. Katniss." Peeta murmured in a broken voice, warm breath dusting across her neck, and she clung onto him for dear life.

"Peeta, they…the-the children-" she broke off as sobs wracked her body, and Peeta hugged her closer. "I know. I know." he whispered, kissing her gently. Their tears mingled, and Katniss felt firm ground start to reappear below her feet.

She broke away, chest heaving, and turned to stare out the window. Lark was now presenting Rye with a crown of twigs and flowers, while Willow and Opal lay with their arms crossed on their chests beside the fence.

Katniss felt tears spring to her eyes again as their faces were replaced with Rue's, with Mags', with Finnick's. She wished Haymitch and Johanna were here, so they could all share their sorrows and support each other.

"It's- good that we remember them. It means they're not gone." Peeta murmured softly. "Katniss…I think it's time that we tell them."

"T-tell them what?"

"Everything."

\- 

Rye and Willow stared up at their mother warily, as she sat at the kitchen table with red eyes and wet cheeks. Her face was filled with sorrow and torment. "Mama?" Rye asked worriedly, and Katniss wiped her eyes quickly and patted the chairs across from her. "Rye, Willow, I think…I think it's time I tell you a story."

"The story of the goat?" Rye asked eagerly, but Katniss shook her head. "You haven't heard this story before."

Rye frowned, but followed Willow's lead and sat down. Willow instinctively reached out to squeeze her brother's hand.

"You know…of the Hunger Games, yes? You've learnt about it at school. You know that 24 tributes from each of the districts were sent into an arena, to fight. The winner would become rich and famous."

"You know that your father and I…played a role in it. But you don't know that we were…tributes. We were-we were victors."

Katniss’ foot started tapping against the ground repetitively as she spoke, as nerves wound their way through her mind like a snake.

"Your father and I won the 74th Hunger Games. Together. There was a rule change. But our actions in the games were not…compliant. They went against the rules of the Capitol, but still we won. That stirred up some of the districts, because in their eyes, it meant that people could go against the Capitol, and emerge triumphant."

"These districts started an uprising against the Capitol. They fought back against the Peacekeepers, and President Snow started to…threaten your father and I. To get revenge, he sent us into the Quarter Quell, but…there was a plot to help us escape. Near the end of the games, one of the tributes, Beetee, blew a hole in the barrier. I was broken out, but…Peeta was captured by the Capitol."

Katniss' eyes were closed by now, but she heard Willow gasp. Willow knew the implications of being captured by the Capitol.

"His mind was…stolen. His memories were changed. And while he was a captive, I was helping to incite the rebellion."

As the story flowed out of Katniss, she could feel something inside her, some sharp edge, softening. The words that had been locked up in her brain for so long were finally free.

"We began a battle against Snow and his army. We joined with District 13, to fight back. Your father was rescued, but his mind was…affected."

"It took many weeks to overtake the Capitol, and many people were…lost. My younger s-sister Prim, she-she-"

Katniss paused to compose herself, not daring to open her eyes.

"She died."

"Died?" Rye squeaked, glancing to Peeta and back to Katniss. Peeta nodded his head solemnly.

"This town, this country, rose from the ashes of the old Panem. Without the Capitol trapping us here, we reached out and discovered other broken civilisations like our own across the oceans- Covia, Fana Guile, Runegatho, Akhstan, Najari. And now…"

Katniss finally opened her eyes.

"Now we are at peace."


End file.
